Base to simulate emergency response

If you hear sirens blaring and see local emergency responders racing toward the Seymour Johnson Air Force Base gate next week, don't panic.

It is only a test.

Airmen from both the 4th Fighter Wing and 916th Air Refueling Wing are scheduled to join local, state and federal officials for Orbit Comet, a major accident response exercise designed to train and test response procedures for potential real world threats.

Details on the event, set to run Dec. 8 through Dec. 12, are not being released because warning is not typically provided before a real accident occurs, officials said.

And no information about the exercise itself will be made available until after it ends.

For complete coverage of Orbit Comet, see the Dec. 14 edition of the News-Argus.